All articles by jen_stem

In a little less than a month from today, my husband and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary as the Student Ministry Pastors at Claremore Assembly of God. WOW. Time really does fly. It’s crazy to think that a year ago we were praying and seeking God for the direction we would take... Continue reading...

Last Saturday, I attended one of the best thrown “themed” Birthday parties I have ever been to. Not only that, but I had the opportunity to take pictures of the entire extravaganza! Seeing a room full of preschoolers and their parents enjoying the Carnival themed party was nothing short of an absolute blast! And it... Continue reading...

January’s Alphabet Photo Challenge through I Heart Faces is in full swing! This month the theme is “The Letter S.” I had some great ideas for my submission for this challenge, but so many roadblocks came with each one. Timing. The weather. Places. I’m sure some of you can relate. It’s so easy to have... Continue reading...

The Sketchbook Project (formerly known as The Art House Co-op) is a pretty cool community of artists from around the world focused on promoting art and creating communities. I first heard about them a while back, and more recently when I purchased a sketchbook for my brother, Bobby, for Christmas.... Continue reading...

It feels like it has been FOREVER since I have entered an I Heart Faces judged photo challenge! I think with the craziness of the holidays, time has simply slipped from my grasp. The past few months are seriously a blur! Not only so, but the whole year has flown by at lightning speed. I... Continue reading...

Last weekend I photographed this absolutely adorable family on the campus of Rogers State University. The day was extremely grey and cloudy, but the Mizera family’s brightly colored vests and equally “bright” personalities made for some great pictures and a fun session! RSU was a great location for picturing taking, especially early on a Saturday... Continue reading...

Last week I posted a blog featuring the beautiful Alyssa Owens! After taking Alyssa’s senior pictures, I also had the opportunity to take pictures of her entire family at Claremore Lake that same weekend. After church on Sunday, we hopped into the car and headed to the lake for a fun afternoon of family portraits!... Continue reading...

As most of you know, my husband and I moved to Claremore,Oklahoma last March and took the amazing position of Student Ministry Pastors for REFRESH student ministry. The past 8.5 months have been an absolute whirlwind, and as you’ve been able to notice, my photography has taken a bit of a backseat. When we moved to Claremore,... Continue reading...

It is my nephew Titus’ second Birthday, and in honor of the momentous occasion, I have chosen two pictures of him playing tee-ball for my entries into this month’s I Heart Faces social media photo challenge on “The Letter T.” Titus is currently living across country, so we don’t get to see him as often as... Continue reading...

The past month has been quite crazy and, embarrassingly, I have to admit that I have been quite neglectful in updating the blog. After acquiring some malicious coding on the site, I had my husband update and fix the problems and had planned on updating the look of my website before posting anything new on... Continue reading...

I am so excited for this blog post featuring Courtney Ward and her recent accomplishment of Honor Star Crowning in the Mpact Girls program that the Assemblies of God fellowship offers. It is a huge task for a young woman to complete, and I am so proud of Courtney for all of the hard work... Continue reading...

After two weeks with my younger sister in town, I was finally able to get back to my computer and finish editing pictures I took of our friends Robert and Angela and the absolutely beautiful Vow Renewal Ceremony they had on their 15th Wedding Anniversary.... Continue reading...

YAY! I was so excited to see this month’s Judged Photo Theme as “Pet Faces!” If you know me, then you have probably seen countless pictures and have heard endless stories about our awesome cat, Oreo.... Continue reading...

I have loved living in Oklahoma these past few months (almost 5 to be exact!). It has been such an adventure so far–the good, the bad, and the ugly (have you heard our mud-dauber story? That’s the ugly!). But with my sister in town for two weeks, I knew I had to keep the ugly... Continue reading...

Currently, the weather in Oklahoma is hot. Not just your normal summer hot, but ridiculously hot. We have friends who own pools but are not swimming because it’s too hot outside to swim. That is hot. Too hot. Too ridiculously hot. It’s hard to find things to do when the temperature is 110 degrees. However,... Continue reading...

Happy National Cheesecake Day! I must admit, I am extremely excited to be participating in this wonderful day with an awesome Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip recipe! And WOW! It’s super delicious and addicting!... Continue reading...

The Dark Knight Rises. The Amazing Spider-Man. The Avengers. These are just a few of the recent superhero movies that have taken the nation by “Storm.” I must admit, I was never really a huge superhero fan. However, my husband is quite the superhero nerd (namely Batman), so I have started to become quite the fan myself!... Continue reading...

WOW! I can’t believe how much has happened in the short month since I last posted. I feel like time has literally flown by. And not only that, but I also can’t believe how much my husband and I have done in the last few weeks with our lives. For starters, we launched a new... Continue reading...

It has been quite a while since I have done any kind of print design. However, when I was approached about doing a “Save the Date” postcard for the church’s 75th Homecoming celebration, I was happy to say yes. After years of working on pages for the Yearbook in high school, as well as everything... Continue reading...

June is here & with Father’s Day quickly approaching, I Heart Faces has selected “ALL BOY” as this month’s judged photo theme. There are so many things that come to mind when we think of boys – dirt, bugs, fun, and energy are just a couple of things that come to my mind. But one... Continue reading...

This month’s I Heart Faces Social Media Challenge is an alphabet challenge over The Letter C. Out of all of the challenges I have entered so far, I found this to be the most difficult picture to choose. There are so many things in my life that I love and have taken pictures of that... Continue reading...

For the past couple of months I have been gearing up to shoot my first wedding all by myself. I can’t say that I wasn’t nervous. In fact, I was pretty much a basket case as I laid in bed unable to sleep the night before. However, the morning of the wedding I woke up... Continue reading...

I have been so busy since our move and transition from Missouri to Oklahoma! It has been a crazy ride so far, but I am LOVING every minute of it! We’ve had such a great time meeting new people, going to community events, and exploring the downtown area of Tulsa. The downside of moving to... Continue reading...

Let me begin by saying that I have pretty much fallen in love with Pinterest. One of my favorite parts about the site is the ability to find and try new recipes. However, I run into the same problem every time I find and pin a new recipe–I wish I personally knew the person who... Continue reading...

As most of you know, I have been trying my best to enter into monthly photo challenges through a website called I Heart Faces. I have been loving taking part in these challenges and seeing all of the entries from others as well! This month’s Social Media Challenge is on “The Letter B.” I have... Continue reading...

I am loving, loving, loving the way the pictures turned out from a photo session of friends Madi & Savannah. I have known Madi & Savannah for five years now and have seen them go from sweet junior highers into beautiful and talented young adults. The thing that I love about their personalities and their... Continue reading...

I am so excited to bring you this post on a behind-the-scenes-look at Emily, The Lacquerologist! When Emily first started her blog on nail lacquer and nail art, I knew I HAD to get some pictures of her amazing work and show them off here! If this is your first time seeing her work, I... Continue reading...

When I saw that this month’s judged I Heart Faces Challenge theme was happiness, I knew exactly the picture that I wanted to use. This photo was taken at a session I just recently shot of our friends Travis & Amanda and their two little girls. Travis & Amanda wanted to take their girls to... Continue reading...

I am so excited for this blog post, as it is a glimpse into my first experience photographing a wedding! I couldn’t be happier than to have shared this first experience with such a wonderful and loving family that I have been blessed to have in my life. When the groom’s older sister, Ashley, approached... Continue reading...

Over the past year, I have become great friends with Travis and Amanda and their two precious little girls. That’s why, before I left Springfield, I knew I had to get some family photos of the four of them. Before the photo shoot, I won’t lie, I was feeling a bit nervous. You never know... Continue reading...

I Heart Faces has switched up the way they are doing their challenges and have started doing social media challenges. The current challenge is an Alphabet Challenge over The Letter “N” and I have chosen a picture of my brother’s necklaces. The coolest part about these necklaces, though, is not just how awesome they look,... Continue reading...

Would I call myself a coffee addict? Perhaps. It is hard not to enjoy the deliciousness that a nice, caffeine-infused cup of coffee can provide. I also love checking out different coffee shops. The atmosphere. The people. The wonderful smell. The artwork. Ok. Maybe addict is a pretty fitting word… You can understand my excitement,... Continue reading...

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, and with all of the focus being on the color green, Jon and I decided that we needed to join the festivities by making something green ourselves! That is why, after a couple weeks of anticipation (and an awesome deal on a juicer from great friends of ours), Jon and... Continue reading...

It feels like forever since I’ve been able to get a blog post out! Since my last post about change, my husband and I have moved from Springfield, Missouri to Claremore, Oklahoma. The past month has been a blur, but I am excited about all of the blog posts that are about to come your... Continue reading...

Change (verb): to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone. I must be honest. I am usually not a fan of change. It’s easy to get set in a routine or a way of doing something and get comfortable. It’s hard to break the cycle and set the course of life in a different direction. Change is sometimes painful. It’s... Continue reading...

Earlier in the week I posted a tutorial on Etched Mustache Glasses and told you that I would be giving them away! YES! I am so excited to announce that I will be giving away ALL FOUR of the glasses I made! That’s right! There will be 4 different winners, each receiving one of the glasses... Continue reading...

I am so stoked about this week’s I Heart Faces challenge – HEARTS! There couldn’t be a more appropriate challenge with today being Valentine’s Day! And I have to admit that even though Valentine’s Day has gotten a bad reputation as a “Hallmark Holiday,” I am honestly a huge fan of taking a day to show the... Continue reading...

Am I the only one who is currently addicted to all things mustaches? I have to admit, even though they are a little corny, I am absolutely loving that mustaches have become super trendy. Basically, I think they’re fan-stach-tic (ok…that may be a bit overboard). I have loved all of the mustache glasses, coffee mugs, and... Continue reading...

I love each and every holiday because each one brings a different reason to make something special in the kitchen for the one I love. With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I knew I needed something sweet and something heart-shaped to let my husband Jon know how much I love him (they don’t say the way... Continue reading...

I will admit it – I absolutely love shoes. And even more than that is my love for buying shoes: finding a good deal, using a coupon, and slipping my feet into a size 7 1/2 pair of shoes that I definitely cannot live without. But this past week I almost stopped myself from buying an... Continue reading...

Let me be the first to say that this is not at all a recipe to go into the healthy category. However, show up to a Super Bowl Party next Sunday with this fabulous Buffalo Chicken Dip, and you will have people asking you for the recipe all night long. Seriously. There are quite a... Continue reading...

I love reading, so I was excited when this week’s I Heart Faces challenge entry had to have a book somewhere in the picture. At first, I wanted a picture with a classic book, but, with the progressing popularity of e-readers, I thought about how the “book” as we have understood it is changing quite... Continue reading...

When I started blogging more on the website, my vision was to write posts that were not only personal to me, but that would also be beneficial to my readers. One of the things I hoped to do was showcase local businesses that I love, and today I bring you the very first post that... Continue reading...

The I Heart Faces theme for this week is FAMILY FUN! The picture that I chose is of the Draher Family—I am sure it won’t take you long to figure out why I chose this picture for the challenge! The beach, the jumping, the laughing, and the smiles…this family truly knows what it means to... Continue reading...

I was introduced to quinoa two years ago while working as a personal assistant to a woman inSpringfield. One of my occasional duties was to prepare a meal for the family—usually a new recipe that my boss was interested in trying. On one particular day, she wanted to try quinoa. Like some of you reading... Continue reading...

I Heart Faces is an awesome website that I have been addicted to since beginning my journey with photography! As one of my goals for photography for 2012, I decided I wanted to try to enter as many of their weekly challenges as possible. It will be a stretch for me, but I’m excited for the... Continue reading...

If you know me personally, then you have probably heard a story or two about my two feline friends, Lady and Oreo. They are seriously two of the funniest little creatures on earth. They each have their own unique personality and will do some of the craziest things. But I haven’t always loved cats. I... Continue reading...

Christmas is over. The presents have all been opened, and everyone is gearing up for New Year’s celebrations. But I hate having to say goodbye to one of my favorite parts about Christmas—presents (I mean seriously, who does not enjoy the gift-giving part of the holiday season?). I love it so much, that I just... Continue reading...

Christmas traditions. We all have some that we celebrate every year. What is your absolute favorite—the one thing that you can’t get through the holiday season without doing? For me, I love every tradition that goes along with Christmas. However, there is one that I have to do every year or it just doesn’t seem... Continue reading...

I am so excited about some new changes in my life and on the blog. And yes, I just used the word excited in reference to changes. Change is often difficult or unwelcome, but sometimes it can be exciting as well! We’ve all heard the saying, “we are creatures of habit,” and we all know that it is basically true.... Continue reading...